Hello, dear collegues.
I'm an English teacher in Uzbekistan.
I'm going to organise a small party on the proud of Thanksgiving Day with my students (15-17 years old).
I need some more information on the topic, please send me information, flash cards, videos, plan how to organise it,(if you have).
Or give me sites where I can find useful things, please.
Thanks beforehand.

Thanksgiving day is an important holiday especially in the united states and in Canada. Currently, in Canada, Thanksgiving (Action de grâce) is celebrated on the second Monday of October and in the United States, it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest.

For your party, you could show this interesting video which describes very well what this celebration is all about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reDiz5nkxK8

Basically, this is a celebration of everything that we are thankful for. So, use your imagination. Think about what you guys are thankful for and create your own atmosphere in your country!

Thanksgiving is an important holiday in the USA and in Canada although they are not celebrated in the same month. In the states they actually get a whole week off of school! :) Lucky them!!
Here, in Canada, we get a a few days off.
Thanksgiving is a holiday which is there to remind us to be thankful. Since we live in such a fast-paced society, we tend to take so many things for granted. It's important to take some time to spend with our family and be thankful for what we have.
Typically, a thanksgiving supper is shared with the whole family.

It is a really interesting idea to discuss Thanksgiving Day with your students since it is related to English culture. You do not mention at which level you are teaching, but if you go on bogglesworldesl.com, you will find ready to use Thanksgiving Day worksheets and activities that could be done with younger learners.
I also have a suggestion for you. I think it would be interesting to have your students find a similar celebration in their own culture so that they would be able to become aware of similarities and differences between the English culture and their own culture.

Thanksgiving Day is a joyous family holiday celebrated with lot of enthusiasm in US, Canada and some other countries. But the date of celebration in the United States differs from that in Canada. Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November every year. Canadians celebrate it on the second Monday in October. The reason of the difference is merely geographical. Autumn (Fall) season starts earlier in Canada than in America.

You could find a video history of Thanksgiving if you click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJwJrQfd ... re=related

Thanksgiving Day is a celebration marked as a sense of gratitude people feel for all the good things in life. Thanksgiving Day tradition includes Family Reunion and Feasting, symbolic food (Turkey with Cranberry sauce, Pumpkin Pie, Corns etc.).
Click here and you could find a nice Thanksgiving Song with rather simple text for those who started studying English not long ago:

I don't think that we should actually celebrate Thanksgiving day in Canada's school.
I mean at least in Quebec since it is not a holiday that we ( Quebecers ) make it as an important day. English Canadian are much more interested in this holiday, they do special occasion meals and family dinners just for the Thanksgiving. Quebec just does not pay attention to this day, it is not in our culture to celebrate it at home, so why should we celebrate it at school?

One good activity to do with your students on Thanksgiving Day is to give them a list of important people—for example: the president Obama, a professional hockey player and also a superhero if you feel more imaginative—and have them write a sentence or a paragraph to describe what these people have to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day. I found that activity on a web site for ESL teachers and tried it with a group of students. It turned out that it worked very well, especially when you let your students be creative and invent their own character if they want to. I hope that this will give you an idea of what to do with your students!

Thanksgiving Day is a joyous family holiday celebrated with lot of enthusiasm in US, Canada and some other countries. But the date of celebration in the United States differs from that in Canada. Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November every year. Canadians celebrate it on the second Monday in October. The reason of the difference is merely geographical. Autumn (Fall) season starts earlier in Canada than in America.

You could find a video history of Thanksgiving if you click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJwJrQfd ... re=related

Thanksgiving Day is a celebration marked as a sense of gratitude people feel for all the good things in life. Thanksgiving Day tradition includes Family Reunion and Feasting, symbolic food (Turkey with Cranberry sauce, Pumpkin Pie, Corns etc.).
Click here and you could find a nice Thanksgiving Song with rather simple text for those who started studying English not long ago:

Hello !
I am from Quebec and honestly, I know nothing about Thanksgiving day or "Action de Grâce" since we don't celebrate it. The only thing good about it is that we don't work or go to school on Thanksgiving day ;)
Consequently, I think that as a future English teacher, it could be a good idea to create an activity for this occasion in order to teach students things about this day. It would be good for them, and for me, to know WHY they don't go to school on that day. I looked on the Internet for some activities and I found this interesting website where you can find games, recipes, printables, etc.: http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/

This one has printable books, coloring worksheets, etc. : http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/

I would like to know how Thanksgiving is celebrated in other countries. What do English people do on that day?

Having lived in both, the United States and Canada, I have experienced thanksgiving in both places. I feel that Thanksgiving Day seems to be more of a big deal in the United States than it is here in Canada. I feel that in Quebec, celebrating Thanksgiving (l’action de grâce), is not as important as it is to the rest of English Canada. I have been able to compare how both, French Canadians (Quebecers) and English Canadians, celebrate. Quebecers use this holiday as a chance of getting family members together, but many people I have talked to and observed say that it isn’t a necessary thing.

Hi, I'm very glad that you take the time to celebrate a very important holiday here in North America. There is so much information available on the internet that I really don't see it to be problem that you find information on the subject. Nonetheless, here are a few sites that might help you organize your activity.

http://www.mes-english.com/flashcards/thanksgiving.php

http://www.teachchildrenesl.com/filez89 ... hcards.pdf

On these sites you will find some very interesting stuff, mainly flash cards, handouts and games.

Thanksgiving is an important holiday in the USA and in Canada. Although it is not celebrated in the same month. In the states they actually get a whole week off of school for this holiday. Here in Canada we get a few days.
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and be thankful for everything we have. Since we live in such a fast-paced society, we tend to take things for granted. It’s important for us to spend some quality time with our family and the people we love most. I think that it’s a great reminder for us to get our priorities straight. It reminds us of the important things in life and it reminds us to be thankful and to give back to others in our community.

Hello !
I am from Quebec and honestly, I know nothing about Thanksgiving day or "Action de Grâce" since we don't celebrate it. The only thing good about it is that we don't work or go to school on Thanksgiving day ;)
Consequently, I think that as a future English teacher, it could be a good idea to create an activity for this occasion in order to teach students things about this day. It would be good for them, and for me, to know WHY they don't go to school on that day. I looked on the Internet for some activities and I found this interesting website where you can find games, recipes, printables, etc.: http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/

This one has printable books, coloring worksheets, etc. : http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/

I would like to know how Thanksgiving is celebrated in other countries. What do English people do on that day?

Hello, I think that thanksgiving has lost some of its importance in Canada, especially in Quebec. I am from Eastern Canada, and on Thanksgiving Day it is a public holiday where families come together around a turkey dinner. However, I do think that it is part of Canadian culture and it should be brought up to students. I think it is a great idea to make a small celebration in the classroom to make students aware of what thanksgiving implies. Even in a multicultural classroom, the subject should be discussed. The teacher could take advantage of the situation and ask students from other cultures to talk about their tradition. Another celebration of another tradition could be celebrated in a coming week, for example.

Thanksgiving Day is a one of the most known family festival celebrated in the USA, Canada, Great Bratain and several other, mostly English speaking countries. As far I remember, Thanksgiving Day commemorates the feast held by the Pilgrim colonists and members of the Wampanoag people at Plymouth in 1621. On this day people use to expressed gratitude to God for his blessings and give thanks to their loved ones for their love, care and support. Feasting with family is an integral and most delightful part of Thanksgiving Day celebrations. I think it is important to introduce this holiday in each ESL classroom since it is a part of culture of English speaking countries. It is essential for L2 students learn to acquire not only the language but all the cultural aspects. This facilitates a better understanding of the target language and opens a student to different customs, habits and traditions.

I first got to assume that i'm not so much into religious or any annual celebrations. According to this, it was obvious that I did not know much about Thanksgiving day. I've read in the previous posts that it was a celebration of everything we are thankful for. In that case, I see no reason why I shouldn't celebrate it in my classroom. You can't be against love and friendship, if you see what I mean. I believe that a part of our teacher's role is to share good values with the students. I think there are tons of activities that can be done which would be relating to thanksgiving day. Even if it isn not part of my culture, it is important for me to be aware of other's customs. Lead by example they say.

Thanksgiving day is one of the most important celebration in the United States. To be honest, this day is an important family reunion to be thankful about everything that God has gave us during the last year. Parties are often organized with a meal that includes turkey. There are public celebrations all around the United States to be thankful of their past. Sports events are held in all major sports in activities during this day. Patriotism is felt all around the country.

In Canada, it is a bit different. Thanksgiving day is celebrated in October unlike the United States who celebrate it in November. It is a day that does not have much signification here. Patriotism is not as important in Canada. Samuel's video is a good representation of what you should focus on during your presentation.

I could add that most often, families get together and take it as an occasion to have a special supper with the whole family if possible (grand parents, uncles, aunts, etc.). As samuel pointed out, this holiday is there to celebrate for things you're thankful of. Here, in Quebec, this holiday is not as popular as in the English provinces in Canada or in United States. We still however take it as a "family holiday" even if we don't celebrate like our neighbours from South in United States and from West in Canada. I am pretty sure you can find a way to link this holiday to a unit on family with your students. Good luck!

I believe that Thanksgiving is an unpopular holiday in Canada. People do not quite know the meaning and history of the celebration, other than the fact that Americans eat turkey and have a long weekend. Unlike the United States, Canada does not celebrate Thanksgiving on the same date: in the US it is celebrated on the last Thursday of November, while in Canada it is celebrated on the second Monday of October. This difference is due to the cause of the celebration which is different in both neighbouring countries. In Canada, they simply celebrate the end of the harvest year; in the US, they celebrate the New World and the Pilgrims just as the tale was told.

Hi Samuel, I can see your a pretty active blogger and that's awesome! I really like your concern about this holiday. However, I think is might be hard o pull out in some contexts, esp. here in Québec. With all the "accomodements raisonables" people are getting easily offended when teachers "impose that kind of holiday on the students with different cultural backgrounds. Also, we already celebrate it so there is not much we can say that hasn't been said already. Maybe a good way to do an activity with it would be to ask students who celebrates it and who doesn't. Why do they celebrate it, what do they do with their family and stuff... but besides that kind of 1-class activity, I wouldn't overextend myself in that topic and I'd rather show them a good Adam Sandlers' movie ;).

Thanksgiving Day
Here is an activity you could do for thanksgiving:
Start off explaining that thanksgiving is a day spent with family and it is a holiday where people think about what they are thankful for. Explain things that you can be thankful for ex: your family, your health, your friends, having food on the table everyday. Then ask students to brainstorm what they are thankful for. After they have brainstormed ask students if they think people from other countries would be thankful for the same things. More specifically, students in poorer countries. Have students reflect as to why they are lucky to have so many things to be thankful for. You can also revolve this activity around a donation bank that the students could organize and collect food and supplies to give to charity. Student with whom I have done this activity have really enjoyed it.

Thanksgiving day is a great opportunity to say how we appreciate people and things around us. It is also a moment where the family should be all together to celebrate. Turkey is also served. In Canada, students are also used to celebrate it in school. There are thematic activities during the week. However, this day doesn't mean lot for Quebeckers. Before travelling around Canada, I didn't even know what Thanksgiving was about. I experienced a kind of 'culture shock' in my own country when I celebrated my firt Thansgiving! I don’t know why we give that little importance to this day. It is such a nice day and a good opportunity to thankful to everybody and everything around us. We shouldn’t neglect it and we should talk about it in our English class as part of cultural background that the students have to acquire.

Hello !
Here in Canada Thanksgiving is an important day. It is most likely in family that you celebrate this special day.
It would probably easier for me to help you if you asked me direct questions if you have any more.
Because I think Samuel told you the basic of what and when is Thankgiving !
My mother used to have us do some thanks giving activities. Here is a web site she showed me that I think you could use to find some ideas for your students. This website is also very good for special celebration celebrated here in Canada and United states.

http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanksgiving/

Here is another site explaning where does this holiday comes from and what it is supposed to mean for Americans and Canadians.There's also an activity part. This second website may be more useful for your classroom. http://thanksgiving-party.com/
Have a nice day !!
Catherine

I find that celebrating Thanksgiving in a place where this holiday is not really known is a great idea. It helps the students to understand better the English culture as it teaches them various types of holidays. I don't know much about Thanksgiving since I'm not from Canada or the U.S.A. However, all I know is that Thanksgiving day is very popular in the United States and English Canada. People take a day off and celebrate with their family what they have and the tradition they come from. In Quebec, it is quite different because Thanksgiving is not celebrated although no one works or go to school that day. Nevertheless, I know some people in Quebec that still take this opportunity to meet their family and spend some time together even though they do not celebrate Thanksgiving.